Ep. 383: The Way of Excellence in BJJ, feat. Brad Stulberg

This week, we're joined by Brad Stulberg! Brad is the author of multiple bestsellers including The Way of Excellence and Peak Performance. In this episode, Brad shares his findings from a decade of researching excellence: what it actually is, why we chase it, and what separates real pursuit from the performative version flooding our feeds. Topics include: the three Cs of excellence (caring, curiosity, consistency), self-handicapping, reframing nerves as excitement, why plateaus are a feature (not a bug), and how to make intelligent trade-offs so you stop spreading yourself too thin. If you've ever beaten yourself up for not progressing fast enough, this one's for you. Get The Way of Excellence and Brad's other books: Mental models discussed in this episode: Process Over Outcomes Feedback Loop Defensive Thinking Consistency Compounding Surface Area Keep It Playful ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: Learn more mental models in our online database:

You can listen to Ep. 383: The Way of Excellence in BJJ, feat. Brad Stulberg online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Ep. 383: The Way of Excellence in BJJ, feat. Brad Stulberg is an episode from BJJ Mental Models by Steve Kwan.

This episode is 61:27 long.

This episode was published on Mar 30, 2026.

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